The University of Notre Dame’s iNDustry Labs is pleased to announce the expansion of its multidisciplinary team with the appointments of two associate faculty directors: Mike Chapple, academic director of the Master of Science in Business Analytics program and teaching professor of IT, Analytics, and Operations in the Mendoza College of Business and Robert Landers, collegiate professor of advanced manufacturing in the College of Engineering. Professors Chapple and Landers join a collaborative team of engineers-in-residence, enFocus Industry Innovation Fellows and campus partners working with local industry to support a more productive, resilient and skilled region.
These appointments represent a milestone for the next phase of iNDustry Labs and its alignment to three primary focus areas to advance companies in the South Bend-Elkhart region: automation and robotics, digitalization (data analytics & IT systems infrastructure) and diversification (new product and market development).
As liaisons to their respective academic units and broader academic networks, the associate faculty directors expand the resources accessible to regional companies via iNDustry Labs’ collaborative platform. Professors Chapple and Landers will also steward the development of new workshops, speaker series and classes to raise awareness and share best practices within the focus areas, and further collaboration channels with local industry partners. These activities will introduce a growing set of compelling applied research and educational opportunities to enhance the University’s academic mission.
“Working together with our region’s powerful manufacturing sector unlocks advantages for both businesses and Notre Dame’s students and faculty,” said Thomas Fuja, faculty director of iNDustry Labs and professor of electrical engineering. “Mike and Robert bring world-class experience and expertise in areas that are critical to the future of these companies. They will be a tremendous asset as we match the needs and opportunities of local industry to the University’s resources and talented students.”
Mike Chapple is the academic director of Notre Dame’s Master of Science in Business Analytics program and a teaching professor of IT, Analytics, and Operations in the Mendoza College of Business, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in business analytics and cybersecurity. His areas of expertise include cybersecurity, business analytics, cloud computing, technology leadership, IT compliance and data privacy.
Prior to joining the Mendoza faculty, Professor Chapple served as Senior Director for IT Service Delivery at the University. In this role, he oversaw the information security, IT compliance, cloud computing, data governance, IT architecture, learning platforms, project management, strategic planning and product management functions for the Office of Information Technologies. He also served as Senior Advisor to the Executive Vice President at Notre Dame for two years. Prior to that, he was program manager of the University’s Information Security Program. Chapple also previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer of the Brand Institute, a Miami-based marketing consultancy. He spent four years in the information security research group at the National Security Agency and served as an active duty intelligence officer in the U.S. Air Force. He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame, a master’s degree from the University of Idaho, a master’s in business administration from Auburn University and a Ph.D from Notre Dame.
Robert Landers is a collegiate professor of advanced manufacturing in the College of Engineering and is the principal of the Landers Research Group. Previously, he was a Curators' Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the Missouri University of Science and Technology, and served as the department's Associate Chair for Graduate Affairs for eight years. He received his Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan.
His research interests lie in the areas of modeling, analysis, monitoring and control of manufacturing processes, and in the estimation and control of lithium ion batteries and hydrogen fuel cells. His research group conducts fundamental and applied studies of the modeling, analysis, monitoring, and control of manufacturing processes, alternative energy systems, and various digital control applications. Current manufacturing processes being investigated by his research group involve robotic machining, metal and glass direct energy deposition, incremental sheet forming, selective laser melting and wire saw machining. The group is also investigating the control-oriented modeling, estimation, and fast charging of lithium ion batteries. He has over 250 refereed technical publications and over $8 million in research funding. He is a Fellow of ASME and of SME, and a senior member of IEEE and SME.
About iNDustry Labs
The University of Notre Dame’s iNDustry Labs forges innovative partnerships between the South Bend - Elkhart region’s industries and dedicated resources at the University to support a more prosperous region. An anchor of the South Bend-Elkhart region’s Labs for Industry Futures and Transformation (LIFT) initiative, it was established through a $42.4 million grant awarded to Notre Dame in 2019 from Lilly Endowment, Inc.